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One of the most important – if not the most important – thing you can do to stay healthy is to maintain a healthy weight and waist circumference. Evidence indicates that your waist circumference is the most accurate predictor of your risk of developing metabolic diseases, like type 2 diabetes, h...

One of the most important – if not the most important – thing you can do to stay healthy is to maintain a healthy weight and waist circumference. Evidence indicates that your waist circumference is the most accurate predictor of your risk of developing metabolic diseases, like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. This is because fat accumulating in your abdomen infiltrates your vital organs like the liver and pancreas, leading to a rapid decline in their critical functions in fat and glucose metabolism. A healthy weight and waist circumference is all about energy balance – “calories in” from the diet and “calories out” through physical activity. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat less and exercise more. No weight loss program can be successful without improved exercise habits.
Here are my tips for a healthy lifestyle, in addition to a healthful diet:
Aim for a healthy weight, which means a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 kg/m2 and a healthy waist circumference, meaning less than 40 inches for men and less than 35 inches for women. If you are obese, even a relatively small weight loss (10% of your current weight) can help lower your metabolic disease risk.
Accumulate a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. Most people can realize additional health benefits by increasing the duration of moderate-intensity exercise to an average of 60 minutes daily or by engaging in more vigorous physical activity.
To improve muscular strength and balance and minimize bone loss, include strength-building activities, such as weight lifting, at least twice a week.
If you smoke, make every effort to quit. Even if you have smoked for many years, quitting will result in dramatically decreased risk for chronic diseases.
Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases but increased risk for some cancers. If you drink alcohol, limit your consumption to one alcoholic drink per day for women and two for men. Avoid alcohol if you have a personal or family history of breast or colon cancer or alcoholism.
Disclaimer
This information is made available with the understanding that the author and publisher are not providing medical, psychological, or nutritional counseling services. The information is not intended as medical advice for individual problems and should not be used in place of a consultation with a competent health care or nutrition professional. Liability for individual actions or omissions based upon the information is expressly disclaimed.

Ideally, you would get all your vitamins and essential minerals from your diet, although some of them, like vitamin E or D and calcium, may be hard to get even from a healthful diet. As a “health insurance,” and to fill known gaps in certain vitamins and essential minerals in the average US diet, I recommend the following supplements:
Multivitamins/minerals: Take a multivitamin/mineral supplement with 100% of the Daily Value (DV) for most vitamins and essential minerals, keeping the following suggestions in mind:
Iron: In general, men and postmenopausal women should take a multivitamin/mineral supplement without iron.
Vitamin A: Look for a multivitamin/mineral supplement containing no more than 2,500 IU (750 mcg) of preformed vitamin A (usually labeled vitamin A acetate or vitamin A palmitate) and no more than 2,500 IU of additional vitamin A as beta-carotene. Smokers should not take supplemental beta-carotene.
Vitamin C: Aim for a daily intake of at least 400 mg. Multivitamins/minerals usually provide 60 mg of vitamin C, and five servings of fruits and vegetables provide about 200 mg. A 250-mg supplement taken twice daily, or taking a single supplement of 500 mg or 1,000 mg, will ensure near-maximal plasma concentrations in healthy people.
Vitamin D: Take 2,000 IU (50 mcg) of supplemental vitamin D daily. Most multivitamins/minerals contain 400 IU of vitamin D, and single-ingredient vitamin D supplements are available for additional supplementation. To ensure adequate body vitamin D status, aim for a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of at least 80 nmol/L (32 ng/mL).
Calcium: No multivitamin/mineral supplement contains 100% of the DV for calcium. If your total daily calcium intake doesn't add up to 1,000 mg, take an extra calcium supplement (combined with magnesium—see below) with a meal to make up the difference.
Magnesium: No multivitamin/mineral supplement contains 100% of the DV for magnesium. If you don’t eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, you likely are not getting enough magnesium from your diet. If you add a magnesium supplement, take a combined supplement with calcium containing 133-250 mg of magnesium and 333-500 mg of calcium with a meal.
Fish Oil: If you don't regularly consume fish, consider taking a two-gram fish oil supplement several times a week. If you are prone to bleeding or take anticoagulant drugs, consult your physician.
Lipoic Acid and L-Carnitine: Healthy adults over the age of 50 may consider a daily supplement of 200-400 mg of alpha-lipoic acid and 500-1,000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine.
Disclaimer
This information is made available with the understanding that the author and publisher are not providing medical, psychological, or nutritional counseling services. The information is not intended as medical advice for individual problems and should not be used in place of a consultation with a competent health care or nutrition professional. Liability for individual actions or omissions based upon the information is expressly disclaimed.

A healthful diet combined with physical activity is the key to living a long and healthy life. While your genes, or family history, may increase or decrease your predisposition to develop certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, or certain cancers, your diet and lifestyle play a crucial role in whether and when this predisposition is being expressed as actual disease. In other words, it’s all about postponement of disease through diet and lifestyle to an age where you succumb to aging itself rather than an age-related, preventable disease. Estimates are that 90% of lung cancer and 45% of colon cancer, the top two cancer killers in the US, are preventable by diet and lifestyle; 70-80% of stroke and heart disease, together called cardiovascular disease and the number one killer in the US; and 90% of type 2 diabetes, the prevalence of which is sharply increasing in the US as a direct result of the obesity epidemic.
My top tips for a healthful diet are:
Eat four servings (2 cups) of fruit and five servings (2½ cups) of vegetables daily but don't include potatoes in your tally.
To increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, eat fish twice weekly and consume foods rich in alpha-linolenic acid, such as walnuts, flaxseeds, and flaxseed and canola oil.
Choose oils rich in unsaturated fats for cooking and salad dressings, such as soy, corn, safflower, and olive oil, and choose nuts (except Brazil nuts) for snacks.
Reduce your intake of fried foods and foods high in saturated fat, such as red meat and whole-fat dairy products (butter, whole milk, and full-fat yogurt or cheese).
To reduce your exposure to food-borne carcinogens, avoid smoked or cured foods and charred or seared fish, meat, and poultry.
Reduce your intake of white potatoes, white flour, and white rice by substituting whole-grain products, such as whole-wheat flour and pasta, whole-grain breads and cereals, and brown rice.
Avoid highly processed, nutrient-poor foods, such as cookies, candies, chips, crackers, soft drinks, and sugar-coated breakfast cereals, that are typically high in sugar, hydrogenated (trans) fat, or sodium.
Disclaimer
This information is made available with the understanding that the author and publisher are not providing medical, psychological, or nutritional counseling services. The information is not intended as medical advice for individual problems and should not be used in place of a consultation with a competent health care or nutrition professional. Liability for individual actions or omissions based upon the information is expressly disclaimed.

Ideally, you would get all your vitamins and essential minerals from your diet, although some of them, like vitamin E or D and calcium, may be hard to get even from a healthful diet. As a “health insurance,” and to fill known gaps in certain vitamins and essential minerals in the average US diet...

A healthful diet combined with physical activity is the key to living a long and healthy life. While your genes, or family history, may increase or decrease your predisposition to develop certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, or certain cancers, your diet and lifestyle play a cruci...

‡Vitamins A, C, and E, and Lutein help support healthy eyes. This product is not intended to provide daily intake of Lutein. Take with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

¥B-Vitamins support daily energy needs.*

^Vitamins C and E support normal immune function.*

±B-vitamins aid in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.*

«Lutein and Zeaxanthin to help improve the eyes natural response to glare. Emerging science suggests nutrients such as Lutein and Zeaxanthin help support healthy/normal macular pigment which plays a role in the eye’s ability to respond after exposure to glare/adjustment to changes in light.*

∇Among leading eye multivitamin supplement brands.

^^Refers to Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Vitamins A, C, and E.

µBased on number of nutrients; Among leading Women / Men 50+ multivitamin brands.

»Among leading men’s and women’s gummy multivitamins.

>Biotin, Vitamins A, C, and E help maintain healthy appearance.*

<Vitamins D and B6 help support muscle function.*

♦A combination of Vitamin D and calcium helps maintain strong bones*

•B-Vitamins help support heart health, brain health, energy and metabolism. Vitamins A, C, E and zinc help support normal immune function and healthy eyes. Calcium and vitamin D help support bone health.* Adequate calcium and vitamin D are necessary for bone health. Centrum® MultiGummies® [Men/Adult] and Centrum® VitaMints® do not contain calcium. Take with a calcium-rich diet.

∞Includes 11 nutrients to support whole body health including B-vitamins to support heart health, zinc and B-vitamins to support normal brain function, and Vitamins A, C, and E to support healthy eyes.* Not a replacement for cholesterol-lowering drugs.